Early warning score

How it is used

Most UK hospitals use NEWS2 (National Early Warning Score 2); other systems include MEWS, and there are separate versions for children (PEWS) and for pregnancy. Each measurement gets points, and a higher total leads to more frequent observations and escalation to a doctor or a rapid response team.

Example sentences

1. Her early warning score has gone up from 2 to 6 in the last hour, so I've called the outreach team.

2. The early warning score is calculated automatically when you enter the obs.

Common collocations

• calculate an early warning score
• rising early warning score
• early warning score chart
• early warning score of 7

Related terms

• vital signsThe basic body measurements that show how well a patient's body is working: usually temperature, pulse, breathing rate, blood pressure and oxygen level.
• observationsIn nursing, the regular set of measurements taken from a patient, mainly the vital signs, and sometimes other checks such as pain or level of consciousness.
• escalateTo pass a concern about a patient to a more senior or specialist person, such as the nurse in charge or a doctor, so that they can act on it.
• deteriorateTo become worse, especially when a patient's condition or vital signs change in a way that shows they are becoming more unwell.
• sepsisA life-threatening condition in which the body's response to an infection starts to damage its own organs and tissues.

More terms: Emergencies and the Deteriorating Patient

• CPR
• unresponsive
• DNR
• code blue